Something new on the Mountain

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chiloquinruss
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Chiloquin, Oregon

Something new on the Mountain

Post by chiloquinruss »

We have been building steel on plastic tie switches for some time at Train Mountain. But we haven't had the need for any WYE switches until now. So here is the first steel on plastic TM WYE! I think it turned out pretty good.

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rkcarguy
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Re: Something new on the Mountain

Post by rkcarguy »

Very nice Russ!
I'm jealous you guys have so much room to have such large radii :)
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chiloquinruss
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Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Chiloquin, Oregon

Re: Something new on the Mountain

Post by chiloquinruss »

Minimum radius is 75 foot. Out on the main we use up to 165 radius panels. The steel panels MUST all be pre-bent. We used to bend the aluminum panels in the field but not with the steel. So the winter chore is to build up enough assorted radius track panels for our September Big Build Meet. We shoot for a mile of track during that meet. We use recycled plastic for our tie material, and we just got in a new load today. Thanks for the comments, we appreciate it. Russ

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mspetersen
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Re: Something new on the Mountain

Post by mspetersen »

Russ how about a video on track and switch panel building from scratch?
Mark Petersen

12" x 36" Logan Lathe
rkcarguy
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Re: Something new on the Mountain

Post by rkcarguy »

I'd think you'd have some radius gages being they have to pre-curve the steel rails, and then it's simply a matter of screwing them to the ties and then the hard part of making the point rails and frog. I actually think that aside from curving both routes of rail, that the wye is easier to make because both sides are the same?
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chiloquinruss
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Location: Chiloquin, Oregon

Re: Something new on the Mountain

Post by chiloquinruss »

both sides are the same Well that's partly true except there are some 14 or so pieces of rail plus the frog that make the switch. The points for a wye are totally different than for a left or right hand switch, and of course because we have so little need of a wye we have no jig for them. Your right other that that they are the same! :D We did have an aluminum on plastic wye that we copied all of the tie lengths from before we started so that helped. Now it's back to 75 and 100 ft radius switches, steel on plastic and of course track panels. We use steel on the mains and aluminum for yards, stubs, and sidings.

A 75ft radius switch uses a #5.5 frog instead of the normal #9 frog of a regular 75ft radius switch.

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mspetersen - I think a video would be a good project for our video crew, thanks for the suggestion. Russ
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